Ron Paul: Will Stay in Race; Help "Ron Paul Republicans"

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Ron Paul: Will Stay in Race; Help "Ron Paul Republicans"

Ron Paul News Roundup

Ron Paul "Hotties" Calendar Sold Out
Paul to Stay in Race
The Rise of "Ron Paul Republicans"?

The big news this morning is that Ron Paul has announced that he will stay in the Republican presidential race.

And that the "Hotties 4 Ron Paul" calendars are sold out--and there won't be any more printed.

Also, that more candidates are running under the "Ron Paul Republican" banner--one just announced in Michigan.

Click on Krista to enlarge this month's Featured Ron Paul Hottie

Repeating what he'd insisted: that Ron Paul will stay in the race.

"I will stay in as long as my supporters want me to," the Texas congressman said on American Morning Wednesday. "I was very reluctant to enter the race, didn't think it would last more than a month or two, but to my amazement, we literally got hundreds of thousands of supporters and millions of dollars, and they are still very enthusiastic. And I say as long as the number of volunteers continues to grow, and the money comes in, and there are primaries out there, and they want me to be involved, I am going to stay involved."

Paul won 5 percent of the vote in Wisconsin and 7 percent in Washington State in yesterday's Republican primaries. He said he believes his unlikely run has attracted others of similar political leanings who want to run for Congress.

One such person is Linda Goldthorpe of Michigan. She announced plans to run as a "Ron Paul Republican".

Linda Goldthorpe of Curtis in the Upper Peninsula plans to run in the Republican primary against state Rep. Tom Casperson and conservative Don Hooper, and if she prevails will run as a “Ron Paul Republican” against seven-term Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak.

An outspoken disciple of Ron Paul, Goldthorpe says she has called herself a “pro-life Libertarian” for years.

Libertarians were an important part of the Reagan Republican coalition in the 1980s, but with the election of George Bush and the rise of "compassionate conservatism"--politicalspeak for more big government spending--libertarian concerns of smaller government and less government intrusion seem to have been pushed to the back of the Republican national agenda.

Now, more Americans with Libertarian principles are trying to make the issue of smaller government more important to the national GOP poobahs.

"One of my problems now is that I am being overwhelmed with individuals who want to [run] and I have the responsibility of sorting it out because we are capable of raising funds," he said. "So it is a responsibly that will be a significant one for me to make sure I help the candidates that are true believes and not just the ones who want to be in Congress."

A Ron Paul Republican would most likely be Libertarian in outlook: i.e., adamant about scaling back the power of a U.S. federal government that has reached into almost every facet of individual life in modern-day America.

Paul had previously announced this month that he was scaling back his presidential run to focus on his Texas district and the re-election race he faces there.

Paul is facing a challenge that any Congressman running for President must face: opponents who use the time spent away from the congressional district as a talking point.

Congressional opponents are using Paul's presidential run as an issue: it's being said that Ron Paul is more concerned with running for President than he is his local constituents.

So, Ron Paul is putting more time into meeting and greeting the folks back home in his Texas district. And in helping organize like-minded individuals who are running for office across the country.

Paul, who won 5 percent of the vote in Wisconsin and 7 percent in Washington State, also said he believes his unlikely candidacy has attracted like-minded individuals who want to run for Congress.

Paul also categorically ruled out a third party bid in the future.

As far as attractive women and Ron Paul, there will be no more "Hotties 4 Ron Paul" calendars reprinted.

The website for "Hotties for Ron Paul" says the calendar is sold out.

The site apologizes for everyone coming to the site to get a calendar. The website statement: "The Hotties4RonPaul Calendar has sold out! We apologize to all the Ron Paul supporters out there who came here looking to get a calendar!"

Concerning a reprint of the obviously-popular wall hanging which the site says "rated G, contains no nudity, and is safe for the workplace," the question is answered in the site's FAQ.

You have sold out of calendars, will you be printing more?
No, at this time we are not planning on printing any more calendars.

Iconoclast Republican Ron Paul attracts unconventional support for his presidential campaign, including a 2008 pinup calendar by Hotties for Ron Paul, an independent fund-raiser not affiliated with the campaign. The calendar features 12 scantily clad young women (no nudity). February's "Featured Hottie" is Krista Allee DiPaola, identified as a Detroit special education teacher.

In America, as in the rest of the world, politics and attractive women seem to be a natural combination.

Of course, leave it to an American to figure out a way to make a buck off the two.